Isolation has become a comfortable second skin.
Alone in bed, no upsets, no surprises.
I am in total control, sitting in a dark room.
I don’t have to speak, or even answer the phone,
life gets darker and darker. I am more alone
and liking it too much.
No fresh air, no breezes,
it is deadening to my being.
Late last night, I thought, if I don’t leave the house
I will never get out. Not caring is dangerous.
I make a plan for escape, I have made and failed many plans.
This time it is critical. I get to Cancer Lifeline and I am saved by hugs and sharing.
Satisfied by sharing and being heard.
Listening, I am not alone.
This is a new peaceful feeling.
– Lee Stelmach, February 21, 2019
Lee is a member of the Writing for the Moment Support Group, one of Cancer Lifeline’s longest running groups. This group meets weekly at the Dorothy O’Brien Center in Greenlake.